Taunton police report four more overdoses on Saturday

Taunton police reported responding to four overdoses on Saturday. On Sunday night, city officials and the district attorney's office will hold a forum about the high number of heroin overdoses in the community.

IF YOU GOWhat: "Community Discussion on Combating the Abuse of Heroin"Where: Friedman Middle School, 500 Norton Ave., TauntonWhen: 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17More info: Members of the general public are being encouraged to attend the meeting to discuss their concerns and ideas about the heroin problem and the overdose epidemic taking place in the community.TAUNTON OVERDOSES BY THE NUMBERSSuspected ODs known to police in 2014: 48Suspected fatal ODs known to police in 2014: 4ODs treated at Morton Hospital in Jan. 2014: 47ODs treated all year in 2013 at Morton Hospital: 129Source: Taunton Police, Morton Hospital

As Taunton's city government, police and the Bristol County district attorney prepare to hold a forum tonight night about the high number of heroin overdoses in the community recently, the public health epidemic showed no signs of stopping over the weekend.

Taunton police reported responding to four overdoses on Saturday alone.

Two of the overdoses happened at the same 40 Tremont St. Rear apartment on Saturday morning. Taunton police said they initially responded to calls of an overdose at the building, when a second person was found suffering from an overdose at the location.

Later on in the day, Taunton police commented about the Saturday morning overdose calls on Facebook and remarked on the pattern of increased heroin calls dating back to the beginning of the year. Without identifying the address in the post, Police said they have actually responded to the 40 Tremont St. Rear apartment five times over three days last week for overdoses.

"This morning we were clearing an overdose at the apartment when someone else went down," the message said. "When will this stop?"

Taunton Police Sgt. Kevin Medas confirmed that three of the visits last week were for the same man. The first trip to the apartment last week was on Wednesday for an unconscious man who was injected with Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of overdoses, after paramedics arrived. The same thing happened with a woman at the location the next day.

Based on previous police statements and a count of documented suspected overdose calls, Taunton police have responded to 48 suspected overdoses in the city this year, which they say is a dramatic increase from the amount they were responding to last year. That included at least four suspected overdose deaths in the city in 2014 thus far.

Taunton Police Chief Ed Walsh has previously linked the recent high rate of overdoses to a potent form of heroin and heroin tainted with Fentanyl, a strong painkiller typically used in a hospital setting.

On Saturday, there were also calls for drug overdoses in the afternoon in the parking lot of St. John's Episcopal Church on Bay Street and late at night at 34 Pine St.

Today, Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr., the Taunton Police Department and Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter's Office are holding a "Community Discussion on Combating the Abuse of Heroin" at 6 p.m. at Friedman Middle School, 500 Norton Ave., in Taunton. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting to discuss their concerns and ideas about the heroin problem and the overdose epidemic taking place in the city.

A representative for Sutter previously said that the district attorney hopes to bring heightened attention to the situation and help spur education about the overdose issue.

"We are really hopeful something comes out of this," said Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter. "More attention and better education, is really the key here."